


"Someone Like You."

by Ava_Rose



Category: The Spellbinding Kiss
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Cien made an ass of himself, Depression, Don't carry people princess-style, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, How Do I Tag, Jules is clearly my favourite, Kafka isn't helping, Magic, Magic Festival, Magic University - Freeform, Mental Breakdown, One-Shot, Reader Insert, Reader is based on my reaction, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, You'll break your back, spoilers for the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2020-11-08 10:37:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20834081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ava_Rose/pseuds/Ava_Rose
Summary: She just wanted to save one of the most important people in the world to her.She hadn't meant to upset him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I liked Cien up until he said that line too.  
So, I spent the whole time before this chapter thinking how bad for my mental health this whole situation would be if I were actually there, and when Cien snapped at me I spent a good fifteen minutes thinking about how I would actually react in that situation.  
Enjoy...?

I was grinning as Kafka walked with me to the festival, purposely ignoring the niggling in the back of my mind. There was nothing I could do, so it was better to ignore the feeling anyway.

"Do you want to share some shaved ice with me?" I asked when I caught Kafka's eyes linger on the stand, "It's not really that hot yet, but it'll still be yummy."

Kafka assented with a small dip of his head, letting me guide him by the arm as I ordered and paid for a large shaved ice cup before steering him to a bench.

"I suppose it's a good thing we're here early," I commented, handing the ice to Kafka to hold, "I don't really like eating while standing up."

"We could always have sat on the ground," he pointed out between bites, already attacking the treat, "Are you not going to have some?"

I had really only suggested it for him, but Kafka didn't need to know that. I scooched closer, letting our legs press together and my head lean on his shoulder as I slowly helped him finish the sweet.

Kafka's shoulders dropped when he realized there was no more shaved ice left, startling me into a laugh, "Did you really like it that much?"

"Dragons do not have taste receptors for sweet as you would understand it," he patiently explained, "It's still a very new and enjoyable experience for me."

"Ah, I see. Sorry if it sounded like I was making fun of you."

"Do not trouble yourself." The former dragon reassured me. We sat quietly for several minutes before I realized he was waiting for something.

"What is it, Kafka?" I asked, moving my face to look at him.

This brought our faces inches from each other, and I felt her face go red under his intense stare. This position reminded me of when he confessed to me just a few days ago, and the blood rushed from my face just as fast as it came. Despite the fact that we were sitting together like nothing had changed, I couldn't help the underlying terror that he would break off our friendship because I didn't feel the same way he did.

"You are worried about something," Kafka said, "What?"

I felt my muscles freeze momentarily before I forced myself to relax again. If Kafka had mind reading abilities, I would have known about it by now. This was about something else.

"Um," I stalled, trying to gather myself, "The tournament today."

"Cien made it to the final round," Kafka recalled, "Is this not good news?"

"It is!" I corrected before he had time to dwell on that thought, "I'm really happy for him, it's just..."

I couldn't say anything about Weber, that was Cien's private business.

"I know he's been working himself really hard lately, and I'm scared he's going to collapse like I did-" I stopped short of saying what we both knew came next.

_Before you said you loved me._

"Cien will have had much more practice finding and respecting his limits," Kafka said without breaking the flow of the conversation, "You should trust that he will not push himself that far."

"I guess so," I muttered, hunching as I noticed how much more crowded it had gotten, "Do you know when the match is gonna start?"

"Not exactly, would you like to go check?" Kafka was already standing with a hand held out to help me up.

I let him pull me to my feet, but changed my grip to his elbow while we walked. Kafka didn't even twitch.

"This is the venue, unless I'm very much mistaken," Kafka told me as we neared a stone doorway with flyers pasted all over it. Before we could get close enough to read anything, we heard a familiar voice.

"You guys!" I whirled to see Jules hurriedly elbowing his way through the crowd to get to us, "This is great, we can sit together now."

I couldn't help the smile on my face as Jules came closer, even through the guilt when Kafka's arm tensed under my hand, "They're seating already? That's just some pretty convenient timing on our part."

"Yeah, well it's kind of the main event," Jules said, "Everyone's gonna wanna show support."

"Big, bad wolf Jules showing school spirit?" I gasped dramatically.

"Oh, shut up," He laughed, "I do want our school to win, even if our representative is a bit of a douche."

"Cien?" I asked, genuinely confused, "But he's a sweetheart."

Jules smile dropped like a rock, "Maybe to you. You're kind of pretty, and probably exactly his type. To those of us he isn't courting, he's an asshole."

"He is not!" I snapped, "You know, I had a similar discussion with him about you."

"Speaking of courting," Jules continued, looking over my head, "What sort of mating rituals do dragons have? Do you have to woo the girl, or is it more like reptiles with a one and done sort of deal?"

I gaped at Jules. He just outright ignored me, and to pick a fight with Kafka! I pursed my lips and held my hands behind my back to keep from demanding his attention. If he didn't want to talk with me, fine!

Kafka pressed himself into my side before answering mildly, "If you're so curious, how about you turn yourself into a dragon? Then you would be able to experience their mating rituals for yourself."

I choked on a laugh. Was Kafka seriously being petty?

When I saw Jules puff up in preparation for a retaliation I knew it was time to shut them down, "Come on you two, let's go sit down."

I grabbed Kafka's elbow again, and laced my fingers with Jules' to drag them with me. I decided to ignore the triumphant look Jules thought he was sneaking over me again. It wasn't worth fighting over in public.

"These seat will let us us get close to Oswald," Jules muttered, taking the lead as I stared at the stadium we were in.

"This is a flipping coliseum!" I gasped once I had parked myself between the boys. Kafka looked mildly concerned, while Jules just rolled his eyes.

"There's supposed to be a lot less bloodshed," He teased, catching the fist I threw at him.

"Stop freaking me out!"

"If you get too freaked out, you could always use me as a shield," Jules' laughed, his smirk growing bigger.

"Not when you're the reason," I grabbed Kafka's arm, "That's what he's here for. Saving me from you."

Jules spluttered for half a second, clearly not expecting me to run to the other man for cover. Kafka looked at both of us with absolutely no amusement.

"I thought I was here because I was your friend," Kafka said, gently pulling his arm away, "You two are going to get us removed if you keep it up."

I flush with shame and look down into my lap. Jules scowled at Kafka as he held my shoulders. 

We were awkwardly silent until the announcer came on, telling the crowd what they already knew. I leaned forward to watch Cien play up the crowd on the Cromwell side of the stadium without paying much attention. Miraculously, he managed to lock eyes with me through the crowd. Mischief played with the corners of his lips as he blew a kiss to me.

My face on fire, I quickly fell back with a gasp, but not before he also gave me a wink.

The nerve!

"Who does that fucker think he is?" Jules hissed, at least thinking clearly enough to keep his voice down in a crowd of fans.

"He thinks he is an attractive young man infatuated with an attractive young woman," Kafka said mildly, not trying to start a fight, but I knew he wouldn't back away from one either. I sunk lower in my seat at the feeling of tension building before springing back up again.

"Wait, the other guy is a senior? Isn't that unfair to Cien?" The boys broke away from the staring contest they were having to stare at me instead.

"You're kidding, right?" Jules snorted. 

Kafka stepped in before I could snap, "Cien would not be here if he could not handle himself at this level."

"Asshole or not, he's definitely a skilled magician," Jules added, something like admiration under his usual tone, "He's probably had the highest level of magical training since he was young."

"He did mention being a magic tutor even as a kid," I mumbled, not really ready to let my point go.

"He'll be fine," Jules started comforting me, but Cien's opponent decided he'd had enough crowd pleasing. I grabbed Jules and Kafka's hands, refusing to let go even as Cien broke a huge wave of water to land relatively harmlessly around him.

It would have been breathtaking if I wasn't terrified for Cien. Unfortunately, the flashy attacks only fed into my belief that someone was going to end up permanently damaged by the end. Most of the time, I could barely keep myself from drawing blood from the hands holding mine. I was finally distracted by something the other student tried. 

"Why a unicorn?" I asked, trying to speak over the crowd. When I saw the uncomfortable looks on the boys' faces I let go of their hands, although Jules didn't let me go far.

"It depends on the caster," Kafka explained, moving close so I could hear him, "Sometimes, a spell can be stronger if the form makes sense in the caster's mind." He gestured to where Cien had summoned a dragon of flames, "Other times, it's entirely personal preference."

I nodded to show I understood, even as my eyes tracked the ball of ice Cien was sending straight for the other man's head. I heard Jules suck in a sharp breath, and as I turned around the crowd groaned. I whipped back around to see that Cien's projectile had ended up in the wall somehow.

"That was a straight shot!" I gasped.

Jules leaned back to shout to Kafka, "Hey, can you see what that other guy is holding?"

The tightness in his voice alerted me that something was very wrong. When Kafka shook his head, I turned to Jules for an explanation.

"I think he's got an effigy," He growled, "Dark shit, and fucking illegal as hell. I gotta tell the judges." He was already up and moving, Kafka and I trying to keep up.

"Wait, what's that mean for Cien?" I called.

"You ever hear of voodoo dolls? Same basic-" Jules stopped suddenly enough for me to slam into his back, staring at the field with mild horror. I looked down in time to see Cien fall into a crack in the ground that definitely wasn't there before.

"Earth magic? Fuck that's going to rebound any second-"

I almost had time to ask Jules what he meant.

There was a tremendous CRACK as the ground slammed back into place, tearing a scream from me.

_No!_

I hadn't seen a bottom to the rift, meaning Cien would have fallen a very long time before landing on rock.

_If he wasn't crushed._

I didn't see Jules rushing away, couldn't hear Kafka trying to bring me back down. My mind was too full of images of Cien.

_Cien screaming._

_Cien with his bones tearing through his skin._

_Cien's chest not moving._

_A once human smear of blood._

"No!" I screamed out loud this time, overwhelmed as white light filled the world.

The next thing I was aware of was Kafka calling my name over and over, sounding more worried than I've ever heard him.

_And is that disappointment?_

The first thing out of my mouth when I regained control of myself was, "Cien?"

"He will be fine," Kafka huffed, "You pulled him back out of the ground."

"With the Spellwright's Lexicon?" No wonder Kafka was so upset. I hadn't really meant to take a major risk to my health.

"Yes. You should not be using that ability at all." Something about the way the former dragon was basically reprimanding me rubbed the wrong way.

"What's wrong with saving my friends?" I snapped, stepping away from where he'd been holding me upright. Kafka's eyes flared a little.

"There were plenty of skilled mages on standby for this sort of situation. Even Jules went to help."

"I'm not going to stand by and wait for someone else to save him when I could do something about it!" Not to mention it had been completely instinctual, "I'm going to check on him. See you later."

I stormed out of the stadium with no resistance, everyone anticipating the announcement of the results. Once outside, I had to take a moment to keep myself together.

_I didn't do anything wrong! _I was the only one at risk, which meant it was my business whether or not I used my ability. All the protesting in the world wouldn't make the feeling that I did screw up leave though. 

Eventually I just wiped my face dry and resolved to cry it out in my room later.

Following the outside wall, I figured I would come across the competitors entrance sooner or later. If he wasn't there then at least I had a starting point for my search.

It didn't take long for me to hear a familiar voice and I rushed forward, bursting with happiness and relief.

"Cien!" I laughed, running in for a hug when I saw him.

Cien very deliberately turned away from me when he heard my voice, and I stumbled to a stop.

_Moron, of course he's upset. That was an utter shit show._

"Y-you look like you're okay, at least." I cringed at how uncertain I sounded. I felt uncertain, never having been this uncomfortable around Cien before.

"I'm not okay at all!" He snapped, turning back to glare at me. I gasped, tripping over my feet when they attempted to move me away. I looked up at him from the ground, "I lost in there because of your meddling!"

"B-but, you were gone, and I was scared-" I started, but Cien didn't want to hear it.

"I was fine, but now my life is going to hell. I told you why this was so important to me!" He was really fuming now, "You want to know what makes it so much worse?"

_Please, no._

"The worst part of it is-" Cien breaks off with a chuckle that sends a shiver of horror down my spine.

_Don't do this._

"The worst part is that I was saved by someone like you!"

The world froze for a microsecond, panic really beginning to choke me. I couldn't hear what Cien chose to follow that with, the blood in my ears too loud.

"I'm sorry," I said, shakily standing, "I'll stop bothering you."

I backed away carefully, not wanting to fall and embarrass myself again. As soon as I felt I was at a safe distance, I turned and ran.

_"I know some people can be kind of elitist..."_

_You weren't supposed to be one of them._

There was nowhere to hide on-campus. They could find me anywhere, and I needed to be alone. I stifled the screams building up in my chest to try and think while I kept running. I could try a portal...Jules said the door ones were kind of like cheating, right? I had researched the theory plenty, and there would be nothing wrong with trying.

I barely had to put any effort into the thought before there was an open doorway in my path.

_"Usually, you have to be in a life or death situation to force it."_

_Heh, my body thinks it's dying._

I tripped over the door frame, practically flying into a clump of glass flowers. I didn't move after I landed, feeling the portal fade out of existence behind me. No one was going to be able to track me.

_Good, I should be alone. _Was my last coherent thought.

~~~~~

Jules was going to hurt someone. Possibly the dickhead in front of him, "You seriously don't know where she is?"

"No, she ran off. I didn't see where." Cien shifted, clearly ready to leave the interrogation as soon as possible.

"She _ran_?" Jules' eyes narrowed. Cien looked away, and Jules suddenly saw the guilt all over him. That, and the dragon's pissy attitude earlier gave Jules a good idea of what had happened, "The fuck did you say?"

"Something I didn't mean," the blonde admitted, flinching when Jules raised a fist. 

_Don't do it, she'll be upset if you wreck his face..._Counting to ten, Jules managed to bring his fist back down. With your anxiety, you would be trying to stay away from anyone and everyone. He'd need help finding you

"Here's what's going to happen," Jules demanded, "You're going to get someone, I don't care how, to look for her with the surveillance. Kafka and I are going to manually search. If you find her before we do, you send me a message. You don't go near her until I'm sure she's fine."

"Who the hell do you think you are, Blanchett? Her keeper?" Cien shoved at Jules' chest, bristling at the feeling of being given orders.

Jules allowed himself an almost cruel smirk, "I think you're getting keeper mixed up with concerned boyfriend, Oswald."

Cien left without another word.

"Now to get Kafka," Jules muttered, already trudging.

Hours later, Jules was starting to curse your name, "Where the hell are you?"

It was getting dark, he'd had Cien check over the grounds three times already, even dragging Kafka to scour College Park after the first negative report. You had effectively disappeared. 

He was currently pacing over the spot Kafka said your scent just stopped. _It's creepy that he can smell her like that. No normal human has that capability. Makes me wonder why he didn't just use it when we were all lost in that fog..._

"You didn't," Jules groaned, a mixture of terror and pride filling him at the thought of you creating a portal off campus with Oscar still at large. He unhappily pulled up his own door, figuring he should save his magic in case you had found trouble. 

The fog was creepier than he remembered, and he had to hold himself back from calling your name desperately. You might not be in any condition to respond.

_Or she might run away._

Jules shook that thought off, determined to get you safely back to school.

After ten minutes of what amounted to brisk wandering, Jules saw something that wasn't just more ground. He called your name softly as he came over, growing alarmed when you didn't respond. Dropping down next to you, he saw that you were damp and trembling. 

"How long have you been out here?" Jules asked your back, not really expecting an answer as he started to pull you into his uniform jacket.

You were limp like a doll when he pulled your front away from the ground, scaring him enough that he didn't notice your face for a moment. Then the blood started dripping onto him.

"Holy shit, were you shot from a cannon?" Your face was a mess of blood and glass flower fragments, your eyes barely focusing on him.

"Cien?" Your voice was almost gone from the screaming fits you'd probably had while Jules had been looking.

"He's not with me," Jules promised, rubbing your arms, "I'm gonna try and carry you to school on my back, okay? Can you hold on if I do that?"

Your head dropped in a pathetic mockery of a nod, but you made no other move. Jules sighed, and turned to pull your arms over his shoulder. Once you were leaning against him, he reached back for your legs.

Standing carefully, he focused on making a portal home, warp style this time. He slowly made his way to the dorms, not wanting to jostle you too much.

The lobby was a welcome sight up until he saw who was waiting.

"Is she alright?" Kafka asked. Cien was already reaching for one of hands. 

The moment his skin brushed yours, you jerked away, curling against Jules' back and making hoarse little cries.

"Back off!" Jules roared, the others already several steps in retreat, "As you can see, she's not alright! I know it's mostly your fucking fault," Jules tossed a glare in Cien's direction, "But you're not off the hook either, Kafka. Stay away until she decides to talk to you."

Huffing, Jules dragged himself up the stairs, unable to trust himself around the other men. Two flights up, he had to lean against the wall for a moment.

"I can walk." Your voice was tiny and made him jump.

"I've got it," Jules tried to reassure you, but you were already wiggling away. With a sigh, he gently let you down on the floor, grabbing your hand before you got too far. Seeing your face again reminded him of what happened when he let you out of his sight last time. 

You lead the way, pulling at Jules gently whenever he slowed. You seemed to want to get to your room as quickly as possible. Jules was worried, but didn't want to stop you when you were moving on your own. 

Both of you were silent the whole way to your room, and you went straight to your bed, bouncing a little when you dropped. Moco scampered around your legs, occasionally pausing to chitter at him. He knew the thing could actually speak to you, but without the bond it just sounded like an angry rodent.

"Hey, I'm trying to take care of her, alright? I've gotta grab some stuff from my room, watch her for me." He almost ran the six flights of stairs, scared you would disappear. 

Grabbing his personal first-aid kit, sleep wear, and a change of clothes took all of two minutes of his room mate throwing questions at him that he was not going to answer. 

"Why has this place not invested in some fucking elevators yet?" Jules snapped at the air, sliding down the stair rails after the tiniest hesitance. Outside of your room, Jules took a few deep breaths before gently opening the door. You hadn't moved much, just your arms to cradle a miserable looking Moco in your lap, "Hey, I'm back. I'm going to try and clean up your face, okay?"

You didn't respond, but you also didn't pull away when he moved your head to look at the damage.

"Alright, the glass is pretty hard to see right now, so I'm going to get the dried blood off first." Hopefully talking would help you come back to the present, "Try not to move, we don't want anything getting stuck even deeper."

Jules was tense, ready for you to suddenly move at any moment, but all you did was blink, "Okay, I'm going to pull the glass out now."

"Can't you use magic?" You asked, making Jules pull back the tweezers.

"Dumbass," he said on reflex, "Do you want to be stuck with glass in your face when I miss bits?"

You smiled just a tiny bit, and Jules sighed, "Don't move, you're making my job harder!"

~~~~~

I obediently held still while Jules pulled out glass fragments. My head was still a little foggy, but having Jules with me was helping. The warm bundle in my lap was also wonderful.

"Are you okay?" I heard Moco ask pitifully. The tugging in my face paused as Jules looked down at my sweet Degos.

"Not right now," I whispered, deciding not to try and lie, "But I will be. Don't worry too much." 

Moco nodded again, snuggling back into my stomach. Jules went back to work, and I watched the pile grow larger in his hand.

"My face is going to be scarred now, isn't it?" 

"Not a chance," Jules replied, finally throwing away the glass, "I'm dragging you to the nurse tomorrow morning, kicking and screaming if I have to."

I smiled again, even as the disinfectant Jules was treating me with burned. He was wonderful, and I hated that my first instinct was to run away when I was upset. He deserved to have someone who ran to him.

"I'm sorry that you had to-" My apology was cut off by Jules' lips being crushed against mine. I tried a few garbled protests before melting into his kiss, leaning back as his hands cradled my head. I barely noticed our lips, too busy with how Jules was making me feel warm, safe, _contained ..._

Once I started making happy noises, Jules pulled back. I reached for him to try and pull him back, but he scattered butterfly kisses all over my face. His physical version of an apology.

"That's all the self-control I've got for the night," he admitted softly, rubbing my sides, "We should probably get ready for bed."

I nod, my face red. I should be used to this by now. Whenever Jules was scared of screwing things up with his words, he would resort to other means of communication.

_I didn't have to do anything._

_Don't blame yourself._

_You deserve to be here._

"Hey Jules?" I wrapped my arms around him before he could say anything, "Thank you. For everything."

"Of course," he mutters into my hair.

We stand in the middle of my room, just breathing each other in. It felt right.

_If being someone like me means having someone like Jules, I'll be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had more in mind, but this is already longer than I meant it to be. If someone wants a part 2, let me know.  
EDIT: So I totally lifted one of these lines from another story, and didn't realize it until just now. It's my "Kiss From Death" story, so it's even another Genius game...  
I'm not going to change it, but just in case someone reads both stories, I feel like I should say this is the copycat story. It just took me longer to get the other one out. So sorry!


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning sucked. My face itched like crazy, I was running on empty, and Jules had correctly predicted that I didn't want to move.

"Just come cuddle," I whined, holding my arms out to him. Jules didn't miss his opportunity, pulling me to my feet before I realized my mistake.

"We've got things to do, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to traipsing around in your pajamas," Jules said, shoving me into the bathroom with a bundle of clothes, "I can go grab food, but after that we're going to the nurse."

I sighed, "Alright."

I waited until the door closed behind him before starting up the shower. Silly as it may be, I was a little embarrassed at the thought of Jules being on the other side of my bathroom door while I undressed.

The scalding water helped me wake up, and the sting was a good reminder to keep my face out of the water. I took my time, not really concerned about Jules now that I was relaxed. He would never try anything that would make me uncomfortable. I was safe, everything was fine.

I decided to shut the water off before I could get pruny, breathing in the humid air. I avoided looking in the mirror as I dressed, not quite ready to face yesterday head-on. Leaning back against the counter, I thought over my next moves. I wasn't ready to talk to Cien, but it would be cruel to keep Kafka waiting too long. He was just worried yesterday. It absolutely was not his fault I had a terrible reaction. 

_Cien can stew._ I was surprised at the vehemence the thought came to me with. 

"You okay in there?" Jules voice called before I could think about it too much.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told him as I opened the door.

Jules took a moment to blink away the rush of wet air before gesturing behind him, "Grabbed donuts and fruit. Everything else would have been a pain to carry."

"Thank you," I said, going up on my tip-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, "What would I do without you?"

I had meant it lightly, but Jules' eyes grew dark. His arms held me tightly and he pressed his face into my neck, breathing shakily. I froze, holding him as he started shaking and my shoulder grew wet.

_Fuck._

Jules didn't try to say anything until he was done, then he kept us so close together I couldn't get a good look at his face, "We aren't going to talk about that right now, but it is a discussion we need to have."

"Okay," I whispered, breathless from the sheer emotion he seemed to be holding. I didn't want Jules to cry, but the fact that he cared so much warmed me from the inside out. I was feeling the weirdest mixture of guilty and giddy.

Jules took a deep breath before letting go of me, turning away, "Hurry up and eat so we can get moving."

I purposely did not "hurry up", trying to give Jules more time to recover. Eventually though, he was giving me sharp glares and I couldn't pretend to still be hungry.

Jules kept an arm around me as we walked, probably glaring at anyone who got too close. I was busy looking at the ground, trying to focus on his body heat to avoid thinking about the crowds. There wasn't class today, but many of the students who didn't feel like going to College Park were just sort of wandering around. 

"If they aren't actually doing something, they could a least stay in their frigging rooms!" Jules muttered as he finally managed to steer me into the nurse's office. I kept my eyes away from the corner curtained off.

"Hello, and what can I do for you this fine morn-" The nurse broke off to gasp my name when she saw my face, "What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Jules said, letting me go to sit.

"Jules, there is no need to-"

"She fell in a field of glass flowers." Jules kept an eyebrow up in challenge.

"Fine, don't tell me!" The poor woman huffed, turning back to me. I saw Jules smile behind her, and cherished the affection welling up in me. The nurse was one of the few people I had seen treat him the same as anyone else. It was wonderful.

"It looks like you'll be fine. The hothead did a good job cleaning you up," the nurse sighed as she straightened, "I'll just grab some ointment to make sure it doesn't scar, alright?"

Five minutes later, we walking back to the dorms. I was giggling as Jules told me a story involving five-year old him, a car lighter, and one-hundred twenty seconds without supervision.

"And now I can't stop playing with fire, even as I'm terrified I'm going to burn down whatever building I happen to be in," Jules concluded with a huge grin. I was gasping for breath, my ribs feeling tight in the best way possible.

"What was even going through your head?" I asked. Jules threw his hands up helplessly in response.

"I don't have a clue!" His eyes flicked to the side, and his cheer started to dim, "It's Kafka."

I looked around Jules to see the former dragon watching us from a distance. His red eyes were soft and sad, but he made no move to approach.

"I should talk to him," I said, my fingers tightening around Jules elbow as my gut tingled. I slowly reminded myself that Kafka had just been worried yesterday, and Cien had been the one to say cruel things. 

"Are you sure?" Jules asked, probably guessing what my grip meant.

"Yeah, wait here for me." I moved away before I could stop myself, determined to get through this one conversation. Kafka watched me without moving an inch. I was going to have to approach him all on my own.

_This is a crappy way to try getting over me._

I brushed the thought away. It was way more likely that he was trying not to scare me away.

"Hi," I said when I got close enough to talk to him. Kafka greeted me with a bow of his head before jumping into it.

"What happened?" I touched my face gingerly. I still hadn't looked at myself.

"Fell in a field of glass flowers," I repeated from Jules' earlier explanation. I knew Kafka would believe me.

His eyes went even softer, his hand reaching for me, but stopping before contact, "I apologize for my behaviour yesterday. I was selfish, and did not think of the consequences it would have on your mental state."

"Kafka," I sighed, stepping forward so his fingers brushed my cheek, "I can safely say that the blame for this does not belong to you. Please don't beat yourself up over it." 

Kafka swallowed hard before pulling me into a hug. I buried my face in his shoulder happily, his familiar heat spreading through me.

"I don't think there's anything for me to forgive you of," I said into his shirt, "but if you need me to say the words, then I forgive you."

Kafka squeezed me hard enough for me to wheeze before backing away, "Jules is waiting for you."

I looked over my shoulder, and Jules was actually tapping his foot. I almost yelled at him, but Kafka was my priority at the moment, "Only if you tell me we're all good."

"I'm not sure why-"

"Tell me, Kafka."

"We're good. We're all good." Kafka looked a bit like he was choking on the words, but he had to say them. It was the same reason I had to say I forgave him.

I was smiling as I walked back to Jules, and he seemed to be happy that I was happy.

"Just please tell me you aren't going to be that easy on Oswald."

"I'm not a total doormat, Jules."

"Yeah, you've got nothing on a doormat's sexiness."

"...Jules. That was awful, even for you."

"You're laughing, aren't you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story Jules tells the reader is based off a story from my own life. I was trying think of something cute but also dangerous Jules could've done as a kid, and I was hit with one of my own childhood memories.


End file.
